This is a copy of a letter I wrote to Sprint... It pretty much sums up what is going on
"To Whom It May Concern:
I am writing to express my extreme disappointment with a recent Sprint PCS decision. As I have called in to the customer services this month, I have been alerted to the fact that as of August 28 I will be charged airtime usage to access my presently free customer services. I find this action completely unacceptable and lacking in any logic that would promote good business.
My attempts to discuss this problem with your customer service representatives have only left me more frustrated. On several occasions I have tried to find out the reasons behind this decision, and I still do not have a grasp on what motivated this move on your part. The only answer that was repeatedly given to me was that in order to promote customer usage of the *4 function and internet services, Sprint has decided to put an access charge of airtime usage on the *4 function on my phone. I have tried to understand the logic behind this reason, but fail to do so every single time.
I was told that customers are calling your service representatives in order to check their remaining monthly minutes. Due to the high volume of calls of this nature, Sprint has consequently decided to motivate people to use the alternative methods of minute tracking by placing an airtime usage fee on the *4 function.
I may be missing the point entirely, but why would anyone feel more inclined to use a presently free function when there will be a punishment involved?
This is the story that was given to me by multiple representatives of your company. I thought perhaps I was misunderstanding the logic so I have checked back with both direct representatives and service managers. Unfortunately, the story has remained the same. Sprint PCS will now be punishing me for doing what, in essence, they want me to do in the first place. I call *4 on a regular basis and now it seems I will never call againunless of course I wait throughout the day until I can use my vast supply of nighttime minutes while saving my precious few daytime minutes for real calls.
When I chose a cell phone service, I specifically looked into the idea of being able to track my minutes whenever I felt it necessary. Sprint was the only company I felt had a worthwhile system (ie. The *4 function, calling from a land-line, and the internet), which weighed heavily in my decision process. I would guess that the *4 function is your most popular method of minute tracking, and now you are trying to adopt a new system in which using this method will only punish me by depleting my allotted minutes. So instead of feeling like I am in control of my own service plan, I will be trapped beneath this punishment system.
Ideally, I am hoping to hear back that Sprint has reversed its decision and the *4 function will remain a free feature as it should be. At the very least, however, can someone please write and call me personally to help me better understand this situation. Customer service would not provide me with a telephone number or specific name of someone I could contact in higher management, so I am submitting this letter and hoping that it receives the proper attention.
The cell phone business is still growing and growing, and word of mouth is a powerful tool when deciding with which provider to subscribe. That is how I found my way to Sprint initially. As of right now, I cannot reasonably suggest to anyone that Sprint is a worthwhile investment.in fact, I have found myself recounting this situation to potential buyers in hopes of opening their eyes to what is happening. One response I heard just last night was Well, that puts my cell phone buying back about ten years! From a business point-of-view, this situation can only do you harm and I hope you take the steps necessary to correct the problem.
I know this entire letter seems slightly bitter, but I am quite the outraged consumer right now. I find it shameful on your part that a free service which is used as one of your selling points is being snatched away from the customers. At least that is the impression that I have been getting from your customer care representatives.
Joey
Burlington, Massachusetts
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